The Paul Ryan Effect.

My first impulse after writing the title to this post, was to leave it blank. As Romney’s running mate, Ryan contributed little to nothing to his campaign. At first glance, one would think he was a non-factor. However, after some further examination, I think he was a huge factor, a ginormous negative effect on a campaign that had a razor thin margin for error.

At the very least, a VP candidate is expected deliver his home region. Ryan couldn’t even deliver his home state. While he did manage to hold on to his congressional seat in Wisconsin (talk about hedging your bet), his Midwestern background meant little there. Romney lost Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio: All states that Ryan should have appealed to. What he and Romney got instead was an Obama sweep. Indiana came through for team Romney, but I can’t even remember the last time Indiana went blue in a Presidential election.

As the campaign trudged forward this year, Ryan’s presence grew smaller by the day. Sure, he did stop and wash some already clean pots and pans at a St. Vincent De Paul, and he did take some time to get schooled by Joe Biden on national TV, oh yeah, there was also the children of rape is God’s gift ( or some disgusting view point of the like) comment, and the ridiculous photo shoot with the dumbbells (which one was the dumbbells?), and the – you know? Never mind. The GOP, pretty much tried to hide him, rather than let him promote Romney.

He was making a fool out of himself and Romney from the outset, and Willard sure as hell didn’t need any help with that.

Willard my man, you should have went with Christie as your running mate: you have my heart felt gratitude for picking Ryan instead.

I’d say that he turned out to be a net liability. Romney nominating him scared a lot of soft Democrats into the voting booth. He had a documented past that people could point to and say “Romney ain’t no moderate, he’s going to be like Ryan.”

If Romney really wanted to win, he should have picked the “moderate” ex-Florida Governor, who is widely rumoured to be gay.